The Week That Was

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, November 30, 2005

These are just a few of my thoughts on what has transpired at the state and national level of sports during the past week.

What a mess…

…We all knew this day was coming, but we didnt know it would be this ugly.

On Monday, the Lions answered all the rumors as they fired head coach Steve Mariucci, who was in his third season with the team.

After a 27-7 Thanksgiving debacle to Atlanta, the question went from if, to when, the Lions would let Mariucci go.

Its quite obvious he lost the team, but Mariucci was only the beginning of the problem.

During his press conference, Lions president Matt Millen more or less put all the blame on Mariucci.

To a point, Ill agree with Millen.

When a team quits responding to its coach, its probably time for him to go. However, I have five words for Millen before he tries to put this all on Mariucci.

Look in the mirror pal. Since taking over in 2001, Millen has run the Lions into the ground with a 20-55 mark during that span  the worst in the NFL.

In some circles, theyre saying the Lions actually fired the wrong guy.

I have to say I agree, although I dont believe Mariucci is a good coach.

After some careful thought, I cant think of a single good decision Millen has made during his time destroying the Lions.

Sure, theres been a couple of decent draft picks, but nothing to get too excited about.

The wrong guy all along…

…You may remember when Mariucci was hired, the Lions couldnt wait to get their hands on him. They had a couple of token interviews, but it was the worst kept secret in the NFL that he was going to the Lions.

I have to admit at the time I actually thought it was a decent hire.

However, Mariucci was the product of inheriting some great talent in San Francisco.

And when that talent began to disappear, his true colors came through.

During the same time the Lions were involved in their love affair with Mariucci, there was another relatively unknown coach getting his chance in Cincinnati.

His name? Marvin Lewis.

All Lewis has done during the same three-year period is take the Bengals from one of the worst teams in the league to a pair of 8-8 seasons, and on the verge of a playoff spot this year.

Ford tough…

…The real problem with the Lions goes far deeper than just coaching of even upper management, it starts at the top with the Ford family.

The Fords simply arent committed to winning  and it looks like they never will.

Its actually a shame that the fans cant fire the owner because until we get some ownership in here thats committed to winning, this is what we can expect year-after-year from this organization.

Here come the Colts…

…From now until the Colts lose expect to hear about them in this column because Im going on record right now saying theyre going to run the table.

At 11-0, theyre completely unstoppable.

In fact, theyre perhaps the most complete team Ive ever seen.

No, Im not forgetting about the Patriots, but player for player Tom Brady cant even come close to Peyton Manning.

I know, I know, Brady has three rings to Mannings zero.

However, Manning is perhaps the best game manager ever  and finally has the right system behind him.

No longer does he have to throw 49 touchdown passes in a season in order to give the Colts a chance to win.

He doesnt have to throw any at all with the type of crushing defense and battering running game they have now.

Perhaps the most concerning game to keep the unbeaten season alive is at the Seahawks.

By then the Colts will have the AFC taken care of  and nothing left to play for.

However, Seattle could also have nothing to play for as it should have home-field in the NFC. Itll be interesting to see how both teams handle that one.

Regardless if they lose in the regular season or not, the Colts are flat out the best team weve seen in the last 20 years. But they have to win the big one to prove it.

A bizarre moment…

…Play was stopped for a few minutes during Sundays Philadelphia Eagles game when a man ran onto the field and spread an unknown substance on it.

The man, Christopher Noteboom of Arizona, ran onto the field leaving a cloud of powdery substance behind him.

The substance? His mothers ashes.

After emptying the bag, Noteboom dropped to his knees, made the sign of the cross, and laid down on the 30-yard line as he surrendered peacefully to security.

Noteboom told the AP that his mother was a life-long Eagles fans  and she wanted this.

She never cared for any other team except the Eagles, he said.

I know that the last handful of ashes I had are laying on the field, and will never be taken away. She'll always be part of Lincoln Financial Field and of the Eagles.

Noteboom will be charged with defiant trespassing, but to him and his mother, it was all worth it.

I cant say I would have done the same thing, but you have to admire a guy who would go to such lengths to honor his loved ones.

Jar of the Week…

…And you thought I forgot about Dre Bly?

Oh no, I was saving the best for last of course.

It seems Bly wasnt down with the firing of Mariucci  and let his feelings be known to anyone who would listen.

On a team where there is plenty of blame to go around, Bly narrowed it down a little.

We're all at fault, but I just feel like Joeys (Harrington)' been here four years, and being the No. 3 pick in the draft, he hasn't given us anything, said Bly in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. "He hasn't given us what the third pick in the draft should give us."

That would have been quite enough to throw his teammate under the bus, but Bly put it in reverse to make sure the job was done completely.

If we'd had production on offense, in particular the quarterback position, Mooch wouldn't have been fired, Bly went on to say. If Jeff Garcia hadn't gotten hurt, we wouldn't be in this position today. Mooch wouldn't have gotten fired.

When I first saw these comments, I didnt actually believe them.

I mean theres no way a professional athlete could be this unbelievably stupid to publicly turn on another teammate like this?

This issue I have with Blys comments is that theyre totally off base here. Has Joey been a disappointment? No question.

But to question the effort Joeys given to the Lions is a complete insult.

Sure he doesnt have the talent of a No. 3 pick, maybe he was even a little overrated, but everything Ive seen from him shows me that he is trying.

Harrington took the high road on Blys comments, when nobody would have blamed him for firing back.

That tells me all I need to know about his character.

As for Bly, I expect to hear about a hefty fine coming his way, or maybe even a suspension.

The old saying goes that the inmates are running the asylum.

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I would say that applies here.

Paul P. Adams is a sports writer for the Huron Daily Tribune and can be reached at (989) 269-6464 ext. 112 or padams@hearstnp.com. The Week That Was appears every Monday and Thursday.